1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage system and a storage component, for recording various contents of video images, sounds, or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been a storage system in which a plurality of home-oriented storage components are interconnected over a network to allow users to record various contents of video images, sounds, or the like, onto an arbitrary storage component on the network. This type of storage system, since it does not require a server for managing storage components in a unified manner, is referred to as a server-less model and possesses several advantages such that the cost of constructing the system can be reduced.
In the conventional storage system, however, there is no method of restricting storage capacity of each user. Hence when a plurality of users use the storage system, problem arises that certain users fully occupy the storage components on the network and others fail to record contents.
A system to solve the above problem is disclosed. The system is provided on a network with an apparatus for managing in a unified manner, content recording information about contents recorded by users (see Japanese Patent laid-open No 2000-235546, Japanese Patent laid-open No 2001-313891 and Japanese Patent laid-open No 2001-325457, for example).
According to the systems disclosed in the above Patent Documents, a storage component on a network can restrict the storage capacity of each user by referring to the content recording information managed by the described apparatus in a unified manner when users record contents, which is an advantage of this system.
However, in the conventional arts disclosed in the above Patent Documents, an apparatus for managing the content recording information in a unified manner needs to be provided separately from the storage component, and such system is thus not the server-less model, leading to a problem of increase in cost of constructing the system.